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Today we basically have a Caligar-Combo lined up for you guys. First up is Whiplash, followed by an original character named Calisman. Hope you enjoy

Whiplash

Whiplash was born into a typical Caligar family in Subternia. His given name was Braden, but from a young age people took to calling him “Whiplash” because of his tendency to hit the other children with his tail. Whiplash was much larger than the other children and from a young age he was a bully.

As an adolescent, Whiplash loved to bully and torment a boy named Calisman, a Snakeman-Caligar hybrid. For years Calisman was beaten up and teased by Whiplash and his friends, quietly accepting the abuse as a part of life that could never be changed. However, when they were teenagers, one day things went too far. While beating up Calisman, one of Whiplash’s friends insulted Calisman’s mother in a disgusting and demeaning manner. Calisman for the first time ever struck back and attacked the boys, biting Whiplash’s friend, Nash. Nash fell to the ground writhing in agony and soon died. It turned out that Calisman, thanks to his Snakeman heritage, produced a very potent venom. Calisman didn’t get into trouble over the death, because it was deemed an act of self defense. After that day, Whiplash and his friends were too afraid of Calisman to bother him again.

When Whiplash reached the age of 17, his activities increased from simply tormenting and torturing the unpopular children, to doing those things as well as stealing. As time went on, Whiplash’s crimes worsened, going from theft, to assault and finally to murder. One day while breaking into another’s home, thinking that it was empty, he was confronted when the home-owner stormed into the room. Surprised by the owner’s presence, he swung out with his tail, knowing the man to the ground. Then lifting a heavy chair over his head, he brought it crashing down onto the man’s head, killing him instantly. Having killed, he knew that he would have to leave Subternia, as the Caligars believed in putting their murderers to death quickly.

Having never left Subternia before, Whiplash was unprepared for what he saw on the surface. He found the sunlight blinding, and it took his eyes some time to adjust. But what really shocked him was the turmoil on the surface. The humans appeared to be killing each other en masse and he had no idea why. Wherever he went, he saw villages reduced to ash, bodies decomposing in broad daylight. For the first time in his life, Whiplash had no friends and had to fend for himself without help. Whiplash took to searching through the remnants of the destroyed villages, finding food and supplies where he could.

One day while rummaging through the remnants of what had appeared to be a stable, he sensed someone behind him. Acting on instinct he swung his tail around, attempting to take the legs out from under his opponent. His opponent lithely jumped over his tail and struck him across the face with the staff that he was holding. Whiplash then ran towards his blue skinned opponent, but his opponent side stepped him, causing him to trip and fall face first into the rubble. As Whiplash was about to stand up, his opponent shot him with some sort of mystical lighting, knocking him unconscious.

When Whiplash awoke, he saw the blue man sitting next to him. The man introduced himself as Keldor and told Whiplash that he’d make a fine addition to his army. Whiplash, still bewildered about the situation on the surface, asked Keldor what was going on and why there was so much death and carnage. Keldor explained to him that he and his master, a man named Hordak, had declared war on Eternia and were intent on taking it over for themselves. Not having any better options, as well as being fairly certain that a rejection to Keldor’s offer would mean certain death, Whiplash agreed to join Keldor’s army.

In the 20 years since that day, Whiplash has proven to be a loyal and devoted follower of Skeletor. Unlike some of Skeletor’s other followers, Whiplash found the darkness of the dark hemisphere oddly comforting. Now that the barrier is shattered, Whiplash is once again fighting terrorizing Eternia, with the hope that someday his master will choose to take over Caligar Subternia and name Whiplash king.

Calisman always knew he was different from the other Caligar boys. His mother was a Caligar, but his father was a Snakeman. Very little is known about the circumstances of his conception. It seemed as if no one wanted to talk about it. Calisman’s childhood was quite happy, even though he was different from the other boys. The adults all accepted him as one of their own, but some of the boys would pick on him. One in particular was very cruel, his name was Whiplash.

Whiplash and his friends would beat up Calisman because of how he was different. Unlike the other Caligars, he had fangs and his body was somewhat thinner than most. He was much stronger than the average Snakeman of the same age would be, but he wasn’t quite as powerful as the Caligars. Unlike the Caligars, he had the unique ability to be able to shed his skin at will. It was a defense mechanism that allowed him to pull away when being held down or grabbed. Usually it was enough to get away from Whiplash and his gang, but one day they surrounded him and he had nowhere to run. It was this day that he tragically learnt about his second power.

Having surrounded Calisman, Whiplash swung his tail at him, knocking him off his feet. Calisman hit the ground hard, another boy kicking him. Calisman had always tried to avoid fighting; refusing to give into his reptilian urge to attack, but this day it would end. Calisman was very close to his mother and the one thing that could push him over the edge was people insulting his mother. One of Whiplash’s friends yelled out a terrible insult about Calisman’s mother, which is when Calisman snapped. He used his tail to knock other boy’s feet out from under him, and then jumped on top biting his shoulder.

The boy started to convulse and shake. You could see that he was trying to scream, but nothing more than a strangled whimper and drool was coming out of his mouth. Then he died. That is when Calisman knew about his second power. His body produced very deadly venom.

Calisman wasn’t punished, because the village knew how cruel the boys could be. Whiplash and his friends were too afraid to bother him any more. However, Calisman felt a great deal of shame over his actions and became much more withdrawn. When he was old enough to strike out on his own, he left Subternia and struck out on his own.

Calisman chose to stay alone, afraid of what would happen if he let others near him. One day he came across some cruel hunters that had netted a beautiful bird and wanted to poach her for her beautiful feathers. Calisman jumped out and attached the hunters. He was very careful to ensure that he didn’t bite any of them, using his strength to push them away.

When the hunters retreated, Calisman took the net off the bird and set her free. He then heard this beautiful female voice in his mind, telling him to follow the bird. Obeying, he followed the bird until he came across an ancient looking castle, shaped vaguely like a skull.

The drawbridge of the castle opened as he got near to it and he walked in. Inside he was that there was a beautiful woman waiting for him. She said, “Hello. My name is the Sorceress. I can sense the purity of your soul, but I also see the darkness in your heart. You are afraid of yourself and as a consequence are unwilling to let others come close to you. I can help assuage your fears”

She raised her hand and then he was enveloped in a blue’ish glow. His body tingled and the bitter taste he had always had in his mouth changed; now it was vaguely sweet. The Sorceress spoke again and said, “You will no longer produce poison. Now you produce a cure for snake venom. Leave the castle now and find your place in this world. I sense a great future for you, filled with many valiant friends.”

Calisman left the castle, feeling a newfound hope in life.

Personality and Appearance

Calisman is very withdrawn. Although he is no longer as dangerous as he once was, it is hard for him to relate to others, having grown up so different from those around him. While Calisman is very quiet, he is also a loyal and caring friend when people get past his aloof exterior.

Calisman looks much like the Caligars, except his body is much slimmer. His head more closely resembles a snake and he has large fangs.

Powers

Calisman is stronger than the average Eternian, but not as strong as the rest of the Caligars. Like Whiplash, he can also use his tail as a weapon, but it is less destructive.

Calisman has also gotten some powers related to his Snakeman heritage. His skin sheds at will, allowed him to escape from tight bonds. The glands in his mouth once produced a highly lethal venom, but now they produce a very powerful anti-venom.

Panthor is an intersting take on Skeletor having emotions towards something. Well Done!!

Well we already showed that Skeletor had some emotions when he refused to kill his brother Randor, but most of this was stripped away along with the skin on his face. Panthor shows that despite his evil nature there is still an element of the old Keldor within him.

Today we're introducing a new ongoing feature. To better flesh out our world, we felt it would be a good idea to write histories for the various peoples that comprise Eternia. First up are the AVIANS and the GAR.

Avian

How the Avian race came to be is a mystery to Eternians. They appear to be the evolutionary descendants of both birds and apes. Their general body shapes are similar to those of apes, with large feet that they are able to use with as much dexterity as their hands. However, their fur has a feathery appearance and they have wings that sprout out of their forearms. They are also deceptively light, having hollow bones and their eyes are adapted for flying, having a second, clear eyelid that protects their eyes from wind.

The Avians live at high altitudes in the Mystic Mountains, their capital city being named Avion. As a race, they tend to be xenophobic and prefer to avoid dealing with outsiders. Contrary to popular opinion, most Avians cannot fly. Flying is a feat that is only accomplished by a fifth of the population. Most Eternians assume that their wings allow all Avians to fly, but the wings only allow for gliding, not being strong enough to lift the Avians into the air. True flight only occurs after years of meditation, which allows an Avian to levitate himself. It is unknown how the levitation occurs, whether it be related to some form of magic that is unique to the Avians, or whether it is a quirk, unique to their genetics. What is known is that those who properly master the levitation abilities, coupled with proper usage of their wings for gliding, become extremely maneuverable air combatants.

In Avian society, the flyers are given the highest status. All statesmen and military leaders are Avians who have mastered the art of flight. There are parts of Avian society who dislike this form of discrimination, but their numbers are not large enough to cause any sort of societal shift.

Avian military strategy focuses on aerial combat. Although not all Avians can fly, they can all glide with their wings. As a consequence, Avians have a preference for weapons that can be used when gliding. This led to the development of crossbows, which are an Avian soldier’s primary weapon. Ever conscious about being weighed down in flight, Avians also carry a small dagger with them, for close quarters combat.

Gars

The Gars appear to be descended from elves. They look very much like the human Eternians, except for having blue skin and slightly pointed ears. Gars, at least when compared to other Eternian races, tend to have a high level of natural magical talent, having produced some excellent mages over the ages.

Gar history isn’t as extensive or well documented as that of the humans. What is known is that Anwat Gar was founded sometime around 800 BPA, by what appears to be the first Gar queen, a woman named Danissa. The monarchy continued unbroken until the time of King Jovan, father of Prince Keldor, a man who would someday become known as Skeletor.

For reasons that are unclear to this day, Anwat Gar erupted into civil war in the year 33 BPA. With no prior warning, the people seemed to be overcome by bloodlust, leading to one of the bloodiest civil wars in Eternian history. The only members of the Royal Family who survived were Queen Acacia, a human lady whom King Jovan had taken as his bride, and Prince Keldor. After the Gar nobility crumbled, Gar society was left in turmoil for many years, until they were absorbed by the Eternos Royal Empire in 21 BPA. Many Gars today harbor resentment towards the royal family of Eternos, feeling that the royal family did not do enough to help them during their civil war and being angered about their eventual absorption into the Eternos Royal Empire.

Gar society has traditionally been pagan, believing in nature based spirituality. It is believed that they are the ones who originated the sayings related to Mossman and Evil Seed, at one point believing in their literal existence as well.

Traditional Gar weaponry had a focus on the usage of wood, as wooden weapons tend to be an excellent focus for their magicks. As a consequence, the usage of staffs and spears was common-place within Gar society, whereas the use of swords and daggers was comparatively less common place.

The first character we put some serious thought into was Hordak. From the get-go we decided that he was going to be a sociopath. We wanted a character who was evil from birth, not due to any sort of environmental reasons. To simplify the taking of power, we made him part of the Etherian Royal Family. While talking about ideas, we liked the idea of having Shadow Weaver be Hordak’s little sister. We thought it would give her a pretty good origin story, as well as allow for an excellent opportunity to portray Hordak’s evil. Utterly submerging and destroying his sister’s identity seemed like a pretty good way to show his evil.

Early on we opted out of the usage of Horde Prime, at least as an entity different from Hordak himself. We felt that the concept of an unseen greater evil has been overdone and is pretty lame, so we decided to have Hordak remain the pivotal character. The other thing is that we didn’t intend to have the Horde be an intergalactic menace, so it made even more sense to have Hordak be the centre of evil. We thought it would be good to have some other planets in it though, although the travel between them would be magically based. The natural choice was Etheria. It made sense since Hordak had been on Etheria in the past series, plus it was a recognizable place. We then used Despondos as an explanation for why Hordak didn’t die in the last 2000 years. We like the idea of his having an extremely long life, but a lifespan that lasts thousands of years seems a bit excessive. So we decided to make Despondos be a timeless dimension.

For us, Hordak is possibly the most pivotal person in both Eternian and Etherian history. Many of the greatest heroes and villains on these worlds arise in response to something that he has done. He is in some way responsible for countless deaths, such as the destruction of Anwat Gar, which led to the eventual creation of Skeletor. His actions are what caused the rebellion to eventually form and even led to the need for He-Man.

When it came to Keldor, we wanted him to be Randor’s half brother. We wanted Keldor to be older than Randor, giving him a further reason to be jealous when his little brother took the throne. To pull this off, we gave them different fathers. It hit us that it would be even better if Keldor felt like he had a true right to the crown, so we made him be the first in line to the Anwat Gar crown. The Keldor and Hordak bios were written around the same time, former by me, latter by Wolf and we made sure to trade them and read them over so that the stories meshed with each other and there were no glaring discrepancies.

Today Bow goes up, which will leads us into our first actual fanfic story. Tomorrow, the first part of a story entitled "She-Ra Revisited" is going up. We hope you all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it and we look forward to hearing your responses.

Bow

Since the Horde came to power Etheria has not been an easy place to grow up in. Andrew was born into a simple farming community, its southern edge bordering the Whispering Woods. Since the community was so small the people were relatively undisturbed by the Horde. But they knew that that could change at any time so the community leaders would do weekly drills where they would ring a large bell in the town square, signaling people to hide.

Being in such a small village made the people fairly self sufficient, bartering a little for the few things they couldn’t produce for themselves. Andrew was originally expected to follow in his father’s footsteps as a farmer. His days were spent learning how to till the fields and plant the crops. When Andrew was 10, his father decided that it would be good if the boy learned to hunt as well. Knowing that it was pointless to have Andrew go after live game without first learning how to shoot a bow, Andrew’s father erected a target in his backyard. Showing Andrew how to work a bow, he then placed the boy only 10 feet away from the target, letting him take an easy shot to start with. Andrew picked up the bow, took his time to aim and then shot. To his father’s amazement Andrew’s arrow hit the bullseye. Thinking it must’ve been a fluke he told Andrew to shoot another arrow. Once again Andrew hit the bullseye. Amazed by his son’s skill, he pulled Andrew back so that he was 25 feet away from the bullseye. Andrew took another shot and while not hitting the bullseye, he came fairly close. Apparently Andrew was a natural shot and he loved doing it.

For the next few years Andrew spent most of his time practicing his aim. By the time Andrew was 13 he was the best hunter in town, being both an excellent shot and a phenomenal tracker. Andrew was a happy kid. His parents and little sister loved him, he had a great talent which would ensure he was always able to make a living and the village was striving. Sure there were concerns about the Horde attacking, but in all his years of life Andrew had never even seen a Horde trooper.

One cool autumn day, when Andrew was 15, he woke up at sunrise and left the house to go hunting. The night before Andrew told his parents that he would be leaving early that day and that he’d likely be out until sunset because he wanted to get one last deer before the winter came. Walking into the woods Andrew had no idea that he would never see his family again.

Andrew had a wonderful day. It took him awhile before he found a set of tracks that were hopeful but eventually he did and followed them deep into the woods. Andrew loved nature and the outdoors so he took his time while following the moose tracks, appreciating the scenery. Eventually, Andrew got within reach of the moose he had been tracking. He crept up, slowly nearing the deer. Taking position about 50 yards away, he pulled an arrow out of his quiver and slowly took aim. His aim was true and he killed the deer on his first shot. Pleased with his kill, Andrew set back to the village, dragging his prize behind him.

Nearing the village Andrew could smell smoke. Looking up into the sky, he saw that there was a lot of smoke coming from his village. Forgetting about his deer Andrew ran towards the village. Exiting the woods, he saw that his village was on fire. Thinking only of his family, Andrew ran towards his home, knowing but not accepting the inevitable outcome. Nearing his home, Andrew saw that it too was on fire. As he got closer he saw that his mother and sister were lying in front of the shed, dead. Looking around Andrew saw his father's body. He was holding a sword and he had been riddled with arrows. His eyes tearing up Andrew nearly didn’t hear the Horde trooper nearing him. 3 soldiers had been left to ensure that there were no survivors. Hearing the trooper walking towards him, Andrew spun around and let an arrow fly. The arrow lodged in the trooper’s neck, killing him instantly. Seeing the other two troopers coming his way, Andrew shot two more arrows, killing two more enemies.

Walking through the town, Andrew saw one of the community leaders slumped dead in front of the warning bell. Andrew had no way of knowing if he was able to ring the bell before being killed, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Andrew was too far away to hear the bell and there was no way that the village could’ve survived the assault. Judging by the number of arrows he found on the ground and lodged in various surfaces, Andrew knew that the sheer number of Horde troopers must’ve overwhelmed the village. The Horde was thorough in its searches, ensuring that no one survived. Everyone that Andrew had ever known or loved was now dead.

Returning to his home Andrew dug shallow graves and buried his family. He would’ve loved to extend the same service to the others who lived in the village, but he knew that soon more soldiers would arrive; looking for the three he had killed. Mounting the horse of one of the slain troopers, Andrew left his home, never to return again.

Andrew spent the next few years on the run, always managing to stay one step ahead of the Horde. Every now and then, he would stay in a town for a little while, taking odd jobs here and there. Whenever Andrew began to feel comfortable in a village he would take off again. Andrew was unwilling to settle down. He was afraid of getting attached, afraid of losing again. He took to calling himself Bow since his past life was dead and gone.

Eventually Bow learned of a group of people who were fighting back. They were commonly referred to as the rebels and the Horde had placed bounties on each of their heads. Bow heard rumors that some of them had been trained by Light Hope, a person who was thought to be a myth. He heard stories of a man named Sha-Man who had incredible magical abilities and Skaldor who had a wondrous sword that gave him fantastic powers. Bow set out to join them.

Not knowing where he could find them he eventually lucked out. Bow had spent over half a year searching for the rebels, not having come across a single useful lead. One day Bow was approached by a pretty girl who looked to be about 20. She gave him a location in the woods, telling him to meet her there if he wanted his dreams to come true. His curiosity piqued, Bow agreed to the meeting and showed up at the scheduled time. Nearing the location she had described, he saw her sitting in front of a campfire. Greeting her, he became aware of a number of people walking out of the woods, surrounding him. As he was about to pull an arrow out of his quiver, the girl told him that he had nothing to fear. She introduced herself as Castaspella and told him that he was now in the company of the rebellion. Sha-Man told Bow that they had become aware of his search for them a few months ago. Having heard of Bow’s interest in them the rebels began to follow him, determining whether he would make a valuable member. They had used magic to make sure that Bow never became aware of their following him and finally deciding that Bow was trustworthy they chose to reveal their presence.

In the rebellion Bow found some meaning in his life. He wasn’t as afraid of losing them as he was of losing others, because unlike his fellow villagers the rebels knew how to take care of themselves. However, at times things were a little rocky. Such was the case of the "Kowl incident".

Kowl was a strange, owl-like creature. He had a sort of sagely wisdom about him and many of the rebels would go to him for advice on personal matters. One day Bow was practicing his shot, hoping to improve his already legendary skill. As he was taking aim, Castaspella mistakenly singed him with a fireball, for she too had been practicing. Jumping out of the flame’s path, Bow let the arrow loose, it flying far off target and embedding itself in Kowl’s head. Kowl died instantly. Although the rebels were saddened by the loss of Kowl, they knew it was a mistake so no one was blamed.

Bow has come a long way in life. Starting as the humble son of a farmer, he is now a hero renowned throughout Etheria.

Just curious, are there any plans to include the Snake Men in detail? I know you mentioned Calisman (great bio BTW) as a half breed and I don't think I've seen any Snake Men bios yet.

Don't worry they are in the works. I myself am working on Kobra Kahn (as well as a few other bios).

To all others who are reading this but not posting...please do. It would be nice to hear your thoughts and ideas. Besides how are me and DL supposed to know if people are enjoying this if you don't say anything

Loved Bow's bio. It made him interesting, and for ME to say that is something, since I never liked Bow AT ALL.. Really looking foward to "She-Ra Revisited" tomarrow, which is also really saying something lol.

Here is part 1 of She-Ra Revisited. It's a 6 part story that will be posted over the next few days. Keep those comments coming!

She-Ra Revisited

Part 1: Hordak’s Return

Crystal Castle

The Crystal Castle was once the wondrous centre of Etherian society. Having been created by an unknown people, for centuries it had been home to the Etherian royal family. The castle was seen as a beacon of light and hope for the Etherian people, but that all changed when Hordak destroyed his family and took control of Etheria. Since Hordak’s rise to power, the Crystal Castle and surrounding areas have been warped by his terrible magicks, causing the castle to change color so that it resembled a dark, almost obsidian stone. The lands surrounding the castle have changed as well, coming dark and barren, nearly all plant-life withering away.

Within the castle, Hordak ordered Shadow Weaver to come to the throne room. Upon her arrival, Hordak spoke.

Hordak: The time has come for me to finally make my return to Eternia.

Shadow Weaver: How is that possible? I thought that traitorous whelp, Keldor, had created a barrier disallowing travel between the two worlds.

Hordak: You are correct. However, after years of study, attempting to destroy the barrier, it has since occurred to me that perhaps the answer is not to find a way to travel from Eternia to Etheria. Instead, I will merge the two planets together, so that they are one.

Shadow Weaver: My lord, won’t that destroy both realms?

Hordak: No. What I have planned will likely destroy much of the two planets, but a single planet will be created in the process. However, many of those not protected by my magicks will be destroyed in the process. The sole problem that arises is that the process requires me to use my powers to their fullest. The process will take a number of days to complete, leaving me drained and exhausted at the end. I’ll require the full strength of the Horde to protect me during this time.

Shadow Weaver: I am sure we can protect you from most of the rebels, but I am concerned about Skaldor. His power seems greater than most and I believe he is the greatest threat to your rule. When you are at full strength, he is no match for you, but when you are weakened I fear that you would be vulnerable.

Smiling, Hordak says, “I have already seen to the removal of that thorn from my side.” Laughing, Hordak left the throne room.

*Days pass*

Royal Palace of Eternos

The day was like any other in the Royal Palace. Teela went to Adam’s room, intending to take him to the training grounds for his daily regimen, and as usual she found Adam still in bed, fast asleep. Shouting at Adam to wake up, Adam sleepily nudged Cringer and told him to attack Teela. Cringer whimpered and rolled over for a tummy rub, leading Adam to mumble something about needing to get another pet. Eventually being forced out of bed, Adam went to bathe himself, telling Teela he would meet her in 20 minutes. While washing himself, Adam got a telepathic message from the Sorceress, telling him to come to Castle Grayskull immediately. Laughing about how angry Teela would be about not his not showing up, Adam transformed into He-Man and rode off to Castle Grayskull.

Castle Grayskull

Arriving at the castle, He-Man saw something that he wasn’t used to. The Sorceress was in a nervous frenzy, pacing back and forth, wringing her hands with worry. Asking what was wrong; the Sorceress told him of Hordak and his Horde, which had twice terrorized Eternia. She then told him that the dimensional barriers separating Etheria and Eternia were being destroyed, leading to the inevitable merging of the planets. Within a few days, Eternia and Etheria would be one, leading to unimaginable destruction and death. He-Man then told the Sorceress to send him to Etheria, to stop Hordak’s machinations. The Sorceress told He-Man that she wished she could, but that there was some sort of barrier, from an unknown source, that made travel between the two worlds impossible. Not knowing what to do, He-Man rode back to the palace, telling the Sorceress to contact him when she figured out a way in which he could help.

Snake Mountain

For the last few days, Skeletor had been in an even worse mood than usual. He had secluded himself in his chambers, ordering his minions not to disturb him. His warriors whispered to each other in fear, wondering what was the matter, but only Evil Lyn had the bravery to walk into Skeletor’s chambers and control him directly.

Skeletor: You know what’s happening, don’t you?

Evil Lyn: Yes, I have been aware that something is not right. After a few days of trying to determine the source of the anomaly, I have finally found the truth. He is returning.

Skeletor: I know. The second I felt the merging of the dimensional barriers, I knew what was happening. He can’t find a way to remove the barrier I placed, so instead he is simply finding a way around it.

Evil Lyn: My liege, what can be done? The effects of his actions are already being seen across Eternia. People are seeing what they think are ghosts, but are in fact the shadows of people on Etheria. Earthquakes have caused untold destruction and things from another world are materializing on our own. I fear that this may lead to the very destruction o Eternia.

Skeletor: I know. I also know what his return will mean. I fear that I may have to do something I had vowed I would never do.

Sitting in silence for the next few minutes, Skeletor then tells Evil Lyn, “tell the others that I will be absent for a few days. In the interim, you will be in charge.” Skeletor then mounted Panthor and rode off.

The last few months had been difficult for the rebels. Castaspella, Sweet Bee, Sea Hawk and Frosta had all been injured in recent battles and were currently recuperating. Light Hope and Sha-Man had secluded themselves, deep in meditation. They were obviously worried, but wouldn’t tell anyone what had gotten them so concerned. The only two members of the rebellion acting normally were Bow and Skaldor, but that was soon to change.

Over the last few days, Eddic had been unable to change into Skaldor. Try as he might, the Sword of Elements refused to work. Talking to Bow about it, Bow joked that that was why Garmroar was looking so underfed lately (since Garmroar was obviously unable to change as well). It was good to see Bow laughing, since he had been in a bit of a slump ever since Kowl’s unfortunate death. As Bow and Eddic were sitting in front of the campfire, talking and eating, Light Hope approached them.

Eddic: Light Hope, for some reason I cannot change into Skaldor. I have been trying for days, but for some reason the Sword of Elements will not respond.

Light Hope: I am well aware of your problems. They have been concerning me for some time as well, but it turns out that while they are connected to another problem that we are facing, they are the lesser of two evils.

Light Hope then told Eddic and Bow of what Hordak was doing. He and Sha-Man had felt the effects of Hordak’s machinations days before, but it had taken them some time to determine what exactly was going on. Having finally learnt the truth, they knew that they would have to do something to disturb Hordak’s plans. It was Light Hope’s belief that Eddic was being blocked from the powers of Skaldor because Hordak didn’t want him to be able to interfere with his plans. Having studied the blocks to Eddic’s powers, Light Hope came to the conclusion that if they could be removed, he could find a way to ensure that they never be used again, but he wasn’t sure how that could be done. However, it seemed to Light Hope that Hordak couldn’t block the totality of the powers of Skaldor, he was just blocking the powers from their current wielder, so in theory if another person worthy of the powers of Skaldor could be found, that person would then be able to wield the Sword of Elements. Sadly, there was no one in the rebellion that was pure enough to be deemed worthy of the powers. This led Eddic to ask Light Hope what could be done, where could they find another.

Light Hope: There is one that I believe would be able to wield the powers. A girl who had hoped to become part of the rebellion, but who we felt would be detrimental to our needs and goals.

Bow: Oh no, not her. If she is given that level of power, she could very well inadvertently destroy all of Etheria.

Light Hope: No, I think that the powers of Skaldor would remove her natural clumsiness. I think she might be the only hope for Etheria.

Eddic: I have known you for years. Ever since I was first given the powers you have guided me well. I trust your decisions, but are you sure this is for the best?

Light Hope: She is the only person I have come across who has the purity and virtue to wield the powers of the Skaldor. Although not a gifted warrior, her heart is true and pure. She may not succeed, but without her, Etheria is sure to perish.

Nodding, Eddic pulled the Sword of Elements out of its sheet, giving it to Light Hope.

The most difficulty arises in figuring out what to do with technologically based characters. People like Man-At-Arms, Man-E-Faces, Zodac, Mekaneck and even Ram Man (if you use the spring leg idea) all have certain difficulties and challenges that must be overcome when trying to determine a way to do them without technology. From the start, Wolf and I basically wrote off Zodac and the Enforcers, but Optimus Prime said he wanted to take a swing at them and in the end he really impressed us with what he came up with.

Man-At-Arms was a fairly easy translation for me, because I had always played with him as a non-technologically based character as a kid. To me, he was the ultimate renaissance man, brilliant in fields ranging from metalwork to literature. The one thing that could’ve led to controversy was our decisions regarding his sexuality. While I can’t go into details on what we considered, we came to the conclusion that he should be asexual and simply not interested in matters of a sexual or romantic nature. His looking at that sort of thing as a frivolous waste of time fit the character we had envisioned.

The whole idea behind Mekaneck’s story was a joke that I had made about how it would be funny to have Man-At-Arms find Mekaneck’s decapitated body and make a comment about it being a shame that there was no technology that would allow him to reattach his head. The whole bio was basically a set-up for that one, weak joke. I wanted to make the bio feel like it was building up to Mekaneck’s great triumph, giving people a chance to get a little attached to the character, and then suddenly kill him. I hope that I succeeded in giving people a little surprise with what happened. I know I got a good laugh out of it. Incidentally, I also considered giving him Mr. Fantastic type powers that allowed him to stretch his neck. In the end, I opted to just kill him as a joke, because I never liked him anyways. Interestingly, I almost wrote a bio for Extendar, based on nearly the exact same joke. In that version, Extendar would’ve been drawn and quartered, leading Man-At-Arms to make more or less the same comment he did about Mekaneck, but I opted out of it because it would likely be a little too graphic for the purposes of the board.

Both of us really enjoyed Triklops’ bio, being blown away by it when we first read it. What really pleased, and actually surprised us was that Hawggie came up with the same source of powers for Triklops’ that Wolf and I thought of when we were debating what to do with him. It was cool to see someone else come up with the same basic idea, totally independently of how we did.

As for Man-E-Faces, we have plans for him in mind and in the next few weeks you’ll see how we dealt with them and we look forward to your reactions.